


Makes The Beautiful World

by Estirose



Category: Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-12
Updated: 2012-12-12
Packaged: 2017-11-20 23:11:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/590731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estirose/pseuds/Estirose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While their siblings discuss getting married, Geki and Goushi have an adventure of their own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Makes The Beautiful World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gingayellow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingayellow/gifts).



"Don't worry," Otome said as they walked down the hallway. She paused to nod at a pair of servants passing by, and Goushi wished he had her strength. His sister was everything he admired, strong and resourceful, an expert at swordplay and at words. He was the quieter younger brother. "Burai might be strong-minded, but nothing I can't handle."

Goushi would do nothing to stop Otome. He was her support, as she was his strength. Still, the idea that she would be married off to the heir to the Yamato tribe, filled him with a kind of despair that Otome would chide him for. She would say he had to be strong, be his own man. After all, he was her little brother, so he had to be made of the same steel to be a Knight of the realm.

Goushi didn't know what to make of the rulers of the Yamato tribe. He knew that Burai was the heir, that he had a brother that almost beat him in boldness, but he'd never met either. He was determined to be fair to Otome's possible future husband, especially since the alliance would benefit both of their peoples. Otome could rein in Yamato's boldness and direct their military strength. He would willingly do anything for her if it would help their people.

"I know he isn't," Goushi said, weighing his words carefully. He knew that Otome trusted that he would speak his mind if he thought he needed to, but this was the time to be diplomatic. "I just wish we knew more about them."

His sister laughed. "We do know something. Mei is friends with the younger brother, Geki, and I know something of them from her. I'm not going into this blind." She was silent for a moment. "I think this is a good alliance, even if the King is a ruthless sort. We should bind ourselves to them." There was a meaningful look in his direction. "I think you should get to know Burai's younger brother."

"Yes." It had occurred to him, too, to do that. It would give him someone to relate to, and he'd heard that Geki of Yamato was as kind as he was bold.

"I'm sure they'll be arriving shortly," Otome said. "I'd best be ready."

She swept ahead of him, and he let her, before heading in another direction. He was expected to present a good facade as well.

He tidied up, washing and then relaxing in the tub, and then getting into his formal dress. He wore no sword, for that would be considered a sign of hostility, but he wished he had one. Plus, Otome was no delicate flower, and she would look lost without her sword.

Goushi had to admit, though, that she looked radiant as he took his place in the room. No delicate dress for this warrior; she was in her best armor, and even if it was feminine, it was striking and fit her well. He spotted the Prince of Yamato solely by the crest he wore on his own armor, and sitting near him had to be his younger brother. Burai was wearing green armor with his own family’s crest on it; his younger brother seemed to prefer red.

Geki of Yamato was several years younger than Goushi himself, but did that really matter?

“My lady,” Burai was saying, and he gave her a courtly bow. Goushi thought of how easy it would be to strike from that bow and hoped that Otome knew it too.

“My lord,” Otome curtsied, her armor flexible enough for her to do so. “I’m honored your father was willing to negotiate marriage with this poor family.”

Goushi wanted to laugh, but he restrained himself. Otome was definitely a warrior princess.

“And I am honored that you are willing to consider my suit.” The formal words slipped out of Burai’s mouth as if he didn’t want to say them, as if he’d rather say something else.

“We would be honored to be allied to the Kingdom of Yamato.” Otome was definitely doing better than Burai at hiding her distaste for courtly words.

Burai nodded. “This is my younger brother, Geki, younger Prince of Yamato.” Geki gave Otome a brief bow, as manners demanded.

“And this is my younger brother, Goushi, a skilled Knight.” Goushi bowed lower than Geki had, because their family was lower than Geki’s. “Perhaps our younger brothers should become acquainted, while we discuss the merger of our kingdoms?”

“Certainly.” There was a smile on Burai’s face, as if he was glad to get rid of Geki. Or maybe, from his expression, he didn’t want Geki to get bored.

Goushi was patient; he could babysit a prince, if needed. “If your majesty would allow it, I can take him to weapons practice….”

“Geki, show this man your weapons skills.” Burai dismissed him with a nod.

“I’d be honored,” Goushi said, leading his charge away.

He took the prince, Geki, to the practice yard. There was little there but dry, sandy ground, but it was a good area to practice. The old retainer, Hideki, was setting some weapons into a rack. He wanted to inquire as to how Hideki’s family was doing, but conversations about Hideki’s wild niece, Yumi, would have to come later.

“Ah, my lord,” Hideki said, bowing at him and then Geki. “You’re on time.”

“This is Geki, Prince of Yamato,” Goushi said. “He wants to practice his skills.”

“You’re welcome to any of our practice weapons, if you need any,” Hideki said. “My lord.”

Prince Geki nodded. “I think it best.” There was a surprising tone of humbleness in his words that belied what Otome had said of him. He started going through the rack of wooden weaponry. “Your choice of weapons, Knight Goushi?”

“I prefer the axe myself, Prince Geki.” He was well-known for his expertise, and he could hardly pretend otherwise.

He was rewarded by a smile from Geki. “Then let’s see how a practice sword fares against a practice axe.”

Goushi selected an axe, and Geki a sword, and they started sparring. Goushi was careful, watching how Geki moved and responding to his attacks with good defenses. Geki himself, if Goushi was judging correctly, was wily; never moving in a predictable pattern, but always with enthusiasm, as if confident that he’d find Goushi’s weak spot.

Geki was laughing by the end of their session, and Goushi had to admit his amusement was contagious. He knew from Hideki’s expression that he wanted to talk to him, but he wanted to spend more time with Geki. He wondered if there was something about Geki that made him instantly likeable, even against his slightly better judgment. As much as he didn’t like to admit it, sometimes a cheery exterior hid a treacherous interior.

“It was a good fight,” Geki said cheerfully. “Should we put these away, and find something to drink?”

Goushi nodded. “There’s something I need to attend to,” he said, “and then we should find something that doesn’t make us drunk.” Or at least he shouldn’t be drunk. What kind of impression would he make on Geki’s older brother if he did.

Geki wiped the dust off of the practice sword. “You handle things for your sister and your father, then? I handle things for Burai and our father.”

“Then we have a lot in common.” Or so Goushi hoped. “If you’ll wait a moment, I’ll make sure everything’s in order before we go drinking.”

Geki moved off after handing his weapon back to Hideki, enough to be polite but closer than Goushi would have liked. “My lord,” Hideki said, taking Goushi’s own axe and returning it to its place. “I just wanted to ask... my niece Yumi is on her way here, and hopes to enlist in the Majesty’s forces. My sister and I thought it best, since she needs the discipline that my sister can’t provide.”

“Ah. She's causing problems, then?” Goushi asked.

“Yes, my lord. I told my sister that she shouldn’t have married that foreign sailor... but what’s done is done. Yumi needs discipline, and my sister is too frail now to keep her in line. Can you ask your father to take her in?” Hideki asked.

"Of course." Goushi didn't see a problem in it. Hideki was a good man and he wouldn't be asking if he didn't think it would help.

"Thank you, my lord." Hideki seemed relieved. Goushi doubted anyone would refuse the loyal retainer.

He made his way towards Prince Geki. "Now we shall drink."

"I think you're making a good choice," Geki said on the way towards the social hall. "My father approves of youngsters having discipline."

"As does mine." Goushi nodded at a servant. There was really nowhere private to take Prince Geki. He’d heard rumors of how cruel the King of Yamato could be, but he had confidence in Otome and in the fact that she wouldn't let him push her over, no matter how low in social status they were compared to the Yamato Kingdom. Plus sometimes the rumors were just that - rumors. "Yumi is very bright and she'll be a good soldier. I suspect it's grief over her father that's making her act this way." He wanted to protect Hideki's niece.

"Let me know if she can't find a place in your army," Prince Geki said casually. "We can always use good strategists."

“I think a good strategist is worth their weight in gold.” Goushi was grateful that his father and sister had people around them that were good strategists, and they were both good at it themselves. It might be why Geki’s brother wanted to marry Otome.

Of course, Princess Mei was quite good at strategy herself, but Goushi didn’t think it was too boastful to think that Otome was better. He’d been on planning councils with the two of them, and Otome always shone.

Sometimes being the younger brother of one of the world’s best strategists was exhilarating; sometimes he wished that he was less in her shadow. In any case, Otome had a good chance of finding a good spouse. He would too, probably.

“Yes, they are.” Geki took a drink. “My brother and your sister will make a good pair.” There was a shine in Geki’s eyes that made Goushi wonder if the prince hero-worshipped his brother.

Of course, he had little bad to say about Otome, either, but that was just wisdom. Or maybe, he thought with a wry grin, survival instinct. Perhaps some hero worshipping was survival instinct.

He’d think about it later, when he was done being a host to Geki. “We’ll set off fireworks in their honor.”

Geki nodded. “It’ll be a fitting display for them.” His eyes shone with unreleased tears, and Goushi had to wonder at this prince of a large kingdom. Perhaps whatever misgivings he had were unfounded; maybe the cruelty of the King was a story, and nothing but, and Otome was marrying into a better family than he thought.

It was all too easy to buy into rumors, after all. People could get so discontented so easily. He should make sure there was nothing wrong, and if it was, then he would act.

A servant came up to him. “If I could beg his majesty’s pardon, but there is someone calling for our Lord.”

“The border?” he asked quietly, and the man nodded. He turned towards Prince Geki. “I apologize, this won’t take long.”

Geki gave him a nod, and soon he was off to the strategy room. With Otome busy with negotiations, he had to take care of this.

“What’s going on?” he asked. One of the their Taiis, their captains, looked up at him and bowed.

“Sir, there are reports that Queen Bandora is amassing forces on our northern border,” the Taii said breathlessly. “Most of the forces at Taisa Field, but there are some reports that she’s trying to slip a smaller force through someplace else, possibly Taros Pass.”

Queen Bandora ruled the icy cold land of Fairii, and before her son had been assassinated, had been a benevolent and just ruler named Dall, a beautiful land bordering Sharma, their land. The story was that she’d been grief-stricken, and that had allowed the forces of evil to influence her and her land. Now it was a cruel place, and Sharma, their home, was all that stood between her and the other kingdoms. It was why they were entertaining a union with Yamato, and why he and Otome had to be brilliant with tactics.

“Where’s Bandora?” he asked. She would go and supervise her forces, no doubt.

“With the main force, in her flying tricycle,” the Taii said. He nodded. “Keep me informed. Otome and our father will be available shortly.”

The Taii bowed, and Goushi headed back to his guest.

“Anything wrong?” Geki asked. “After all, if all goes well, we will soon be allied....”

Goushi thought about that for a moment. “Just Bandora wishing to start up trouble again; our forces have dealt with her before.” Some truth, but not all of it. The wedding hadn’t been announced, after all.

“Once our older brother and sister are allied, we’ll be happy to help our allies in Sharma.” If Goushi wasn’t imagining things, this prince seemed ready to go into battle without the whole alliance thing happening. Maybe the people of Yamato wanted to see Bandora gone as much as the people of Sharma did. Of course, that was common sense; if Bandora got through Sharma, she wouldn’t stop there. Best to stop her at Sharma’s borders. It might even happen before the formal engagement; there might not be time to conclude it, and it might be best to make the alliance first, worry about the engagement later.

“And we’ll be happy to receive the help of our allies in Yamato.” Goushi gave the prince a smile.

“Then let’s drink on it,” Geki said warmly.

* * *

 

The next few days passed without incident, with Otome telling him that talks had turned more towards a small, temporary alliance while still working on the wedding negotiations. That was, it was probable that Prince Geki and some of their forces would go out and assist their forces in preventing an invasion by Bandora.

He, Otome, Burai, and Geki joined the others in the war room. “We think Bandora’s forces are going to invade at two points - the field at Taisa, and the Taros pass,” one of the Taiis said.

Goushi nodded, having heard this a few days before.

“The Taros pass is a small pass,” the Taii giving the briefing nodded towards a marked area on the map. “It can fit no more than two to three at a time. It’s an excellent defense point, but often overlooked. Our spies have told us of forces - trying to sneak attack us, no doubt.”

“We’ll need a small force, then.” Otome was nodding.

“Goushi and I can go,” Geki said eagerly. “Along with a force of our soldiers.”

“A mixed force,” Otome said wisely, before Goushi could open his mouth. “That would work.” Off to one side, Burai was beaming.

“Then, we’ll set up our forces, and go to each of our destinations. Burai, please work with Prince Geki to set up a defense.”

Goushi bowed. “We’ll make you proud, big sister,” he said.

They soon left the room, the four of them, when they were intercepted by a courtier with a young woman in tow. “My lady, this girl wishes to join our forces.”

She had to be someone of note, Goushi thought, for normally she would have been sent to one of the sergeants. The young woman bowed, speaking formally to them. “I am Yumi from Roido, the niece of Hideki. My mother wished me to be in your service as a warrior, my lady.”

Otome smiled. “I’ve heard of you, and I’ve been expecting your arrival. What’s your strength with weapons?”

“I’m best with a bow, my lady, but I can also handle an axe or a sword. Axe is best, because I often hew trees on the farm.”

“Then you’ll be fine in our army. Goushi, can you use her on your team?” Otome asked.

“I can, big sister,” Goushi bowed slightly. It seemed it was up to him to reign her in, a test of his character. He only hoped he could do so. “If you need weapons....”

“I brought my axe, bow, and arrows,” Yumi said.

Otome nodded. "She's yours."

"Get her to the quartermaster, make sure she has a uniform and anything else she needs," he told the servant. The servant led Yumi away. When they were out of sight, Otome said, "Maybe you two should start planning. Prince Burai and I have other planning to do."

There was a smile on Burai's face, and Goushi had to wonder if this was going to be more than a diplomatic and strategic arrangement. More like a love match. If it was, all the better for Otome, but Goushi couldn’t be sure of that.

But he let it go. They didn’t have time to rein in Yumi, much less deal with something like that. He made sure the servants gathered his supplies, got in his armor, and moved towards the courtyard where his force was assembling.

He entered quietly, wanting to hear what his forces said. It was the usual chatter, though, nothing of importance.

“...she’s going to kill me.”

“No, she’s not.”

“Did I do something to have birds scattered all over my quarters?”

“No, he’s pranking you so you don’t notice he’s upset.”

“Oh.”

“Do you think the Lady is going to marry the Yamato Prince?”

“I hope so.”

“Why don’t you ask him out?”

“Because he only has eyes for that artificer that keeps changing his hair, that’s why!”

“Try anyway.”

Goushi shook his head at the soldiers, getting ready and settling his supplies. Geki was far noisier when he joined the group, and everybody noticed him. “So, are you ready?” he asked invitingly, as if they had always set out together.

But there was more to do than just that. There were things to sign, people to get ready. There was confusion as to whether Yumi had gone off without the rest of them, but she was there, just misplaced.

Goushi had to admit that she was behaving far better than he expected her to.

They finally set out. It wasn’t a huge group, just about twenty in number. Goushi could only hope that it was enough to discourage Bandora’s forces from trying to go through. Some of them were former forest-dwellers, though, so he took hope that they could take care of this easily.

Geki joined him in the middle of the party. Some of them were quiet, some of them talked, and every so often, Yumi would misplace herself and go scouting until someone threatened her into staying with the group.

Goushi supposed if she’d been running a farm, she’d be used to the independence she couldn’t have in the group. Still, he felt a quiet word in the ear was better at first. If she proved to need more discipline, then he could provide it - but better to let her prove her wisdom than be persistently idiotic.

Goushi would much rather gove her the benefit of the doubt. If she proved to be stubborn, then he would deal with it then.

They arrived at the Pass mostly without incident, much to Goushi’s relief. He conferred with two of the senior staff, and the group started arranging itself. Geki offered comments, mostly good ideas, and Goushi was grateful to see that the younger Prince was prudent and thoughtful, mostly. Some hotheaded ideas, but not too bad.

There was some area up above that needed to be scouted, per information included from one of the Tahiis, and Goushi volunteered. His staff had things well in hand, and he had to admit that he wanted to see things for himself. Geki, of course, volunteered to go with him, which was good. He wanted to make sure their guest, which he liked, wasn’t going into danger.

“It’s beautiful,” Geki said. “Maybe we should think about filling it, though. So nobody can come through.”

Goushi privately agreed with such things. It had been a good pass, and if they did it right, they’d be able to recover it better when Bandora was out of power and the curse ended. “We’ll look for a way to do that – best way is up here, I think.”

Geki nodded, and the two of them made their way up.

Suddenly, as he reached the nearest ledge, the ground fell away from his feet. “Goushi!” he heard someone yell, probably Geki from the sound, and then everything faded to darkness.

He came back to consciousness some time later, his head aching. There was fabric under his head, and if he turned it, he could see Geki sitting there. “Are you okay?” Geki asked. “I have water.”

Of course he’d have water. If nothing else, Prince Geki had seemed prepared when they’d left, as if he was used to these kinds of campaigns.

Before Goushi could answer, however, a magical image sprung into life. It was Bandora, and she was laughing. “I knew you fools would fall for this! Don’t bother looking for a way out – the whole area is trapped! You and the rest of your troops will be under rubble!” The Witch-Queen cackled, and the image faded away.”

Goushi squelched down the panic he was feeling. There was a healer in the group, but not right there.

“Here,” Geki said, adding powdered leaves of some kind to the water. “This is a kind of painkiller, it’ll help.”

He could refuse the Prince’s painkiller, but he doubted the Prince was on Bandora’s side. Not that he could be sure, of course, but while the Yamato royal family was said to be cruel, or at least the father was, they weren’t backstabbers. They were honorable people. So he drank the water, letting it slide down his throat, before getting up. “We have to get out of here and warn the troops.”

Geki nodded. “Normally I’d tell you to stay down, but we can’t afford this at the moment.”

Goushi was sure he had a concussion, but there was little to do besides get out of there. If he stayed, his crew would be crushed. “Do you think we can get up the way we came?”

“Only if we could teleport...” Geki gave him a wavery grin. “But we should probably try anyway. We should warn our people, too.”

Goushi nodded. _Tomoko!_ He warned one of his senior staff, a woman who had proven to be loyal. _Get out of here! It’s a trap._

_Yes, my lord_ , he heard, before the connection closed. That was good; he couldn’t keep it up for long in the best of circumstances. Nobody could. But at least they could warn one another.

Geki was concentrating too, probably sending the message to his own people. Between the two of them, the others should be safe. Part of him wanted to be suspicious, but there were more important things to think about. Like making it out of there. “If the pass is going to collapse, we need to find a way out without risking the others.”

“I agree.” Geki closed his eyes again, just as the ground started rumbling, but opened them shortly after. “It looks like there might be a passage over here, but if it’s trapped, then the best way might be back up. If we can avoid the boulders….”

The passage was too obvious, Goushi mused. However, Bandora didn’t have a reputation for being stupid. She could be playing some kind of trick. All that either of them was sure of was that she was likely dropping the hills down on the valley – that was, their troops. And them, as well.

As one boulder fell nearby, Geki looked up, and Goushi with him. He could see what Geki was thinking; they could use the rope to dislodge boulders, and then they could make their way up. If they could move fast enough, they could be free of the trapped area and reunite with their troops.

“Let’s use the rope and see what we can do.” He forced himself to remain standing.

“I have a grappling hook,” Geki said. “I’m going to see if I can bring something down without bringing the whole ceiling down on us.”

Goushi nodded his approval. It was evident that Geki thought much the same as he did, though he might have proposed trying to test the ceiling before doing anything. But in this situation, where he had a concussion and was trying his best to stay upright, he was happy to leave the decision to Geki.

They might be good partners, if their kingdoms allied with each other. Maybe they'd end up more compatible than their older siblings. Goushi was hopeful; if they had to work together, then it was good that they got along.

Right at the moment, he’d take getting out of there. Then again, Geki seemed to have more-than-decent tactical ability; he might be able to get out of there even if he just used tactics.

Goushi was just wondering when he could get to someone and rest, though that might be a while away. He edged away from where Geki was getting ready to swing the rope with the hook. Geki, doing his part, was making sure he didn’t hit Goushi.

Geki swung the hook up, but the first result only caused more rocks to crash down, not that Goushi could tell much as Geki instinctively shielded him from them. Goushi looked at the rocks, trying to calculate if they were enough to get them up high enough to just climb up. As he squinted, he realized they could. “Let’s try to get out of here.”

His partner nodded. “You first.” It made sense, because the wounded should be saved, if at all possible. There were two schools of thought on it, though, because some thought that the healthy should be saved first so that they could fight. That was the philosophy he expected from the Yamato King’s son, but evidently, Geki went the more compassionate route.

Either that, or he considered Goushi’s death as unacceptable while negotiations were going on. But while Goushi liked to consider himself to have common sense, he was also hopeful that the man was as compassionate as he seemed.

There was also the possibility that Geki wanted to shield himself from harm by having Goushi leave first, but Goushi thought that unlikely. After all, it was much more dangerous in there than it was out there. So, he started up, thinking of the way out of the valley to safety. He had to admit, he didn't know the area too well, but he had a good memory and even with Bandora's trap, they could hopefully get out of there before something happened.

The two of them made their way up very carefully as the ground threatened to shift beneath them. Goushi had to admit that Geki was behaving like he expected a leader should, and if everything held, he'd be glad to pledge fealty to the Yamatos if needed. If needed. "Thanks," he said, as they made their way out. While he was still sluggish and his head hurt, he was feeling a little better as they made their way out.

"You're welcome- watch out!"

The ground trembled beneath Goushi, and he instinctively leapt to the left. The ground fell down where he'd been.

"I think we'd better get out of here, thank me later!" Geki was already pulling Goushi out of there.

There was really no time to think. Geki hauled Goushi across quickly-falling rocks, rocks that then started to rise as he and Geki stumbled through what was once a pass, away from Bandora's magic.

Goushi didn't realize that they were on the edge of the magic field until a hand reached out for him that was not Geki's. A woman's hand, callused from hard work, once he had a moment to gather his thoughts. The hand yanked him out of the way of a falling boulder. "Here," a voice said, and it took him a moment to place it as Hideki's niece.

The headache was fading a little, though his energy was dropping too, and the light was too bright as more hands joined Geki's and Yumi's. "Here, lord, let's have you lie down." He let everybody lead him, and then he caught a glance of the healer.

"-Happened?" the healer was asking, but he only caught a garbled reply. Then the healer was kneeling next to him. "I need you to lie down and rest, lord. Sleep as much as you can, and don't get up unless you absolutely have to. I'll put extra fabric over the tent so the light isn't so bright." There was more that the healer was saying, but Goushi had to block it out as he closed his eyes. He was so tired, and as the healer said, he should rest.

"Get better," he heard Geki say, and then everything faded out.

It faded back in with a hand shaking his shoulder - gently, but it reminded him he was still tired. He opened his eyes to see Geki sitting next to him in the tent. The light didn't bother his eyes as much, at least. "I wanted to ask how you felt," Geki told him.

"Tired," Goushi said, and Geki chuckled.

"I would be, too," Geki said. "Rest is the best solution." His tone was wry, as if he'd been knocked about on the head a few times himself. "Then we need to figure out who sent us into this situation."

Goushi nodded, though it still hurt a bit. "I agree." They needed to find out if Bandora had a spy feeding false information, or had otherwise manipulated them into thinking that she was going to use the Taros pass to slip an invasion force through. Goushi was leaning towards a spy, because there had been some emphasis on getting him and Geki to go. He relayed his thoughts to Geki, who nodded.

"But that might be able to wait," Geki said. "I've sent a call ahead to Burai, just to let him know what happened."

If Burai was anything like Otome, then of course there was little to worry about. He'd act on the information, working to root out the traitor. He probably should have put out a call to Otome, but he'd had other things on his mind.

No doubt someone had alerted the others, though.

“We think a lot alike,” Geki said warmly. “I hope our siblings are able to come to an arrangement.”

More like, Geki was good at getting someone out of a dangerous situation. But Goushi didn’t mind. If one started following the other, he thought it would be him following Geki. The man had a good head, and maybe he and Geki would end up stationed together somewhere.

He must have dozed off after talking to Geki, because it seemed like the next time he opened his eyes, he was at home, in his bedroom. A servant scurried out upon seeing him wake, bringing Otome when he came back. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Tired." Because he was. "But recovering."

"Burai's brother's been telling us what happened," Otome said. "Don't worry, you haven't been out long."

He had to chuckle a bit at that, because it felt like he'd been sleeping forever.

"As soon as you're ready," Otome said, "We can start working together on who betrayed us to Bandora."

All business, his sister was. "How go the negotiations with Burai of Yamato?" He had to know that before they started discussing things, because that said how much his sister trusted the other family.

Despite everything, she chuckled. "While Burai and I don't agree on everything, we do agree that ours would be a good marriage. And despite what we've heard of the Yamato King, his son certainly seems compassionate enough. I think we will be a good match."

He nodded. It told him very little, but he was willing to follow Otome's lead. He trusted his sister; while he was wise, she was shrewd.

"At least you don't have to have heirs," she said after a moment. "Nor can our kingdom be strengthened further by a political marriage on your end."

Goushi had to gape a little at that. He'd long considered that he'd marry just like Otome was. "Big sister?" he asked.

"You didn't notice?" Otome seemed amused. "I think Prince Geki is most taken with you."

"I… um…." He was supposed to be wise and thoughtful. To understand other peoples' motivations.

How Geki's interest in him had completely passed him by, he had no idea. But he knew how it was expected to play out now. He was a younger child, and while it was rare, it was certainly permitted for him to take a spouse of the same sex if it furthered the kingdom. And certainly, further cementing the ties between their kingdoms would be seen as a good thing.

He just didn't know if he liked Geki that much. Not that it was required for any marriage of royalty, but he always hoped that he would find love when he found a spouse, even if he knew it wasn't practical.

"Think about it," Otome said. "In the meantime, we have a traitor to root out."

He was expected to find a traitor after that revelation? But of course he was. "I should at least do something besides sitting around." Finding the traitor came first; figuring out Geki came later.

The healer had said rest, but he was sure he was okay, for the moment, as long as he took it slowly. He followed Otome out to the room, to a meeting space. A planning room, of sorts. Geki noticeably perked up when Goushi came in, and Goushi wondered if he'd have noticed that before Otome had told him about Geki.

One of their most trusted Taiis, Yuu, was in the room. He looked up briefly at Goushi, acknowledging him, and then returned to his papers.

"What do you have?" Otome asked withut preamble.

"My lady, I don't believe there's a traitor in our ranks. Our mages detected some fairly powerful magic in the days before the pass; it is likely that they were unaware of the situation."

Goushi wasn't too sure about that, and he could tell from the others' expressions that they didn't quite believe that either.

"There was… some enthusiasm on certain parties' end about that," Otome said. Burai seemed to be letting her handle it, possibly out of courtesy. Geki was silent at his brother's side, listening intently to the conversation.

Taii Yuu shook his head. "The first thing we did after the news came was to ensure that nobody had been… altered, my lady." Otome didn't normally approve of the spells that dove inside peoples' minds, which explained the man's reluctance. "Or bribed. It's likely that we were fed false information.'

It wasn't impossible, Goushi knew, to hide from the spells. That was one of the reasons that Otome distrusted that particular magic. But for the moment, they had no proof. It was entirely possible that Bandora had either enspelled their spies, or indeed otherwise gave them the impression that her army was going to use the Taros pass.

In either case, his mind really didn't want to muse on those possibilities. It was too busy trying to figure out his relationship with Geki, or lack thereof, and it was throwing him for a loop. He was supposed to be level-headed.

Of course, the concussion could have something to do with it, too. He probably shouldn't be in the meeting, except he had to be. He needed to be kept up to date in the search for what had sent their joint party there.

Besides, he knew that Taii Yuu, no matter how they disagreed on the matter of the traitor, was a good man, a kind one who preserved the ancient legends. He didn't want to find out one of his people had betrayed his lord, but he'd done what he felt he needed to do.

Unless Yuu had been brainwashed or turned against them, which was a possibility. He caught Otome's eye, conveying to her without spoken words that their trusted Taii might be the traitor, if he hadn't been straight out replaced.

Goushi hoped not. But as Otome returned his slight nod, he knew that Yuu had to be tested as well, and they could only hope that the spell would reveal the truth.

"Then we'll have our mages look at what she might have done, then." Otome looked over at Burai. "But we're also going to make sure we wed." She took Burai's hand resolutely.

Taii Yuu nodded gravely. "I'm going to return to my duties, my lords, my lady." And with that, he left, as if sensing that they wanted to talk privately. Goushi thought he'd always been good at that.

"I assume you're going to mind-spell him, then," Burai said.

"It's not one hundred percent accurate, but it's worth a try." Otome sighed. "I refuse to let something like this stop us."

"Then, we'll go after her together." Burai took Otome's hand. She smiled at him, and Goushi found himself suddenly tired. Maybe he'd overdone it.

"Agreed." There was a sparkle in Otome's eyes. "I must take my leave. Goushi, could you-"

"I'll keep them company," he said.

"You'll rest, you mean," Geki said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Rest and recover." Burai was chuckling at that, for some reason.

"First you're carrying him in, and now you're trying to turn into a healer," Burai said. He shook his head. "You weren't exactly unscathed yourself. Go and rest; I'll make sure that he's taken care of."

"I'll carry him out," Geki said, cheerfully. "Then we'll both rest."

Goushi swore he saw Burai rolling his eyes. But the Prince didn't say anything, just helped Geki help Goushi up. Geki helped him back to his rooms, finally settling him down on his bed. "I thought you might want to avoid Burai being an overprotective older brother," Geki said.

He, having seen such things before, nodded and tried not to wince as his body reminded him he hadn't quite recovered yet. "I've seen those." It was interesting that Burai thought that they were a viable couple, because Goushi wasn't sure about that yet. Of course, with a political marriage, they didn't have to be in love. And that still meant that Goushi had to do his best to make Geki happy. If they married, they'd be less equal than Otome and Burai would be.

"You should go to bed." Geki told him. "We can continue this later, when I make sure Otome's not an overprotective older sister."

Goushi had to laugh at that. "She's not, mostly." He continued sitting up. "But I think she likes you."

"Good." Geki seemed relieved. "I hoped she would. I came with Burai thinking that if their alliance didn't go through, I could at least ask you."

Raising his eyebrows, Goushi said, "So, you came all this way to-"

"Meet you. I've heard of you, of course. And of course I've had these last few weeks to get to know you."

He didn't like it, but it made sense; if one set of siblings wasn't compatible, try the other. And at least Geki liked him. Geki wasn't hard to get along with, either. He could imagine that it wouldn't be so bad. In fact, Geki had proven his worth, by saving him and doing well with their troops. He'd never been sexually attracted to anybody and he doubted he'd be with Geki, either, but it was certainly doable.

"And me, you." Goushi nodded. "If you're willing, then...."

Did Geki practically bounce? "It would take one of Bandora's Dora Forehorsemen to drag me away."

Goushi laughed until it hurt, and then Geki put him to bed.

In the end, everything turned out well. Taii Yuu was all right, not brainwashed or replaced; Burai, Otome, and everybody else finished negotiating the marriage between the two.

Geki visited Goushi every day, and as soon as the healer cleared him, they started sparring together again. Goushi had to admit that he enjoyed spending time with Geki; the man made him smile, even as he made him grimace sometime.

It would be a long time until their own wedding, he was sure, but he could live with Geki. For as long as they lived.

And nothing could be better than that.


End file.
